Social media is a common and easy way to begin promoting yourself online. While social media is a valuable tool for getting started with networking in your field, it isn't the only option. To effectively market yourself online, you have to step outside the social media box. Here's how to start.
Blogging and Vlogging
Social media focuses on short bits of content. Twitter only allows you to post 140 characters, and anything longer than a few sentences is too easy to scroll past in a Facebook news feed. However, promoting yourself online is more than posting short, clever tidbits. By creating a blog or a vlog, you have the opportunity to create longer content and share more of your knowledge.
A blog allows you the space to mix words and images, create infographics, and explain your points and insights with more details. Vlogging gives everyone a glimpse of your face and your personality while giving you the opportunity to speak about your passions and create unique video content. You don't want either of these forms to get overwhelmingly long, but you have a lot more freedom. Plus, creating content helps your ranking in search results.
Online Career Fairs
Networking online is not limited to followers and shares via social media. Online career fairs and networking events are aimed at boosting your career and give you the opportunity to showcase your résumé and your skills while asking questions and gleaning information about your industry. Prepare well for these events by having your résumé ready, doing research on the participants and hosts, and knowing your industry. Then come up with some questions and comments beforehand so you can confidently participate in chats. But what else helps you succeed? Pursuing an online master of science in communication increases your skills and gives you fantastic networking opportunities across the country, both with peers and potential employers.
Hosted Internet Events
You don't only have to be a participant in online marketing events. If you have enough followers on your blog and on social media, you can try hosting your own event. It doesn't have to be as complex as an online career fair or networking event, but it's a great way to get some of your Internet contacts together to discuss and tinker about the same topics. Consider hosting a blog event in which, on the same day monthly or weekly, everyone posts their insights on a certain subject. You can use link-up tools like InLinkz to create a list of all the bloggers participating. The great thing about these lists is that it's easy for new participants to join, and everyone gets more traffic because of this.
When you start creating an online presence for yourself, don't stop at social media. That's just the first step. Take the next step by creating your own content, attending online events, and even consider hosting your own. You are bound to create connections that are more powerful than just friends on Facebook, and grow a real community of peers and possible mentors in your industry.